One step away from the poll
A pparently nothing can stop the general election from going ahead by February next year after the organic bill on the election of MPs was cleared by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA).
The organic bill is on its way to being enacted with only one crucial step, which is to seek royal endorsement, left before it becomes law.
However, as the fate of the organic bill is tied decisively to the election roadmap, two concerns have been voiced in many quarters. One was whether the bill — after it had been reviewed by a joint panel made up of the NLA, the charter writers and the Election Commission — would be rejected by the NLA when it was returned to the assembly for a vote.
The other concern was whether NLA members would decide to forward the bill to the Constitutional Court for interpretation, a step which was feared might put back the poll months longer. However, the moment of truth came when the NLA decided not to seek the interpretation. The decision was met with many sighs of relief, especially by politicians.
Political observers have noted that while the upcoming election and campaigns are definitely the main show, the public may not want to miss some of the “sideshows”.
Several high-profile cases involving key actors, including those in the anti-coup camp, connected to national politics are about to reach crucial stages this year.
One of them is a criminal investigation into Panthongtae “Oak” Shinawatra, the son of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Mr Panthongtae and three others have been accused of laundering money after receiving cheques worth 36 million baht tied to wrongfully approved Krungthai Bank (KTB) loans.
This scandal involves 9.9 billion baht in loans the state-run KTB bank granted to subsidiaries of the Krisda Mahanakorn realestate company during the Thaksin administration even though the firm was listed by the bank as a non-performing debtor.
According to a political source, the case is expected to be forwarded to prosecutors this month to make sure the indictment is ready before the statute of limitations expires in December this year.
Mr Panthongtae has several times asked the investigators to interview more witnesses, citing a desire for justice, but this has been seen by his critics as an attempt to stall the proceedings.
Another sideshow involves key Pheu Thai figure Watana Muangsook who has been a vocal opponent of the military government since the 2014 coup and faced multiple charges related to his criticism of the regime.
But the case in question involves alleged abuse of power and bribery in connection with the “Eua Arthorn” housing project when Mr Watana served as Social Development and Human Security minister in the Thaksin government.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has looked into the allegations and reportedly forwarded its findings to the Office of the Attorney-General some time ago.
According to the political source, the prosecution is expected to make a decision soon.
However, it is not only anti-coup individuals who will be kept busy in courtrooms; pro-military activists and politicians are also being forced to account for their actions.
This week prosecutors indicted 14 supporters of the defunct People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) on eight charges including insurrection in connection with street protests to oust the Yingluck Shinawatra government. Their leader Suthep Thaugsuban was indicted in January this year.